Hi, I’m Susie!

A bit about me…I am the daughter of Linda and Carlos. I am Lori’s little sister. I am Joe’s wife. I am Conner and Hudson’s mom. I am a friend. I am a girl’s girl. I am a devoted dog mom. I am a Leo. I am an introverted extrovert. I am a dancer. I am a karaoke enthusiast. I am photo happy. I am a Napa cabernet wine snob. I am a lover of nature and all things beautiful.

I love being outside in the sun, on the water, in a boat, with a YETI in each hand; one filled with water and the other with a margarita. That’s me in a nutshell.

I was born and raised in Miami Florida, which really doesn’t say that much about me either because people rarely think that I am from here. I am too nice, too sincere, too down to earth, they say. Truth is I am from a suburb in Miami called Pinecrest and it is very much like a small town within a big crazy city. A small town that I grew up in, left for 4 years to go away for college (in Gainesville- GO GATORS) and came right back to. I love the sense of community here. I love going to the local farmers market with my family every Sunday morning, knowing we will run into at least 5 families that we know there. I love that my children are growing up in the same neighborhood I did (just a few blocks away from my parents and the house that I grew up in). I love that my boys are going to the same elementary school that my sister and I went to and that our mom used to work at. And I love that some day they will attend the same high school where I met and fell in love with their daddy. It really feels like we are coming full circle.

Some deeper stuff, I lost my mom to breast cancer when I was ten years old and I feel like this is something I deal with/struggle with so much more ever since I became a mom 7.5 years ago. I also find that whenever I write, it doesn’t matter the topic, the fact that I am a motherless mom somehow always comes up.

I came up with “Getting To Get To” as a sort of platform to share my continuous journey of deep loss and mourning (it never really ends), coupled with creating a life filled with an even deeper sense of gratitude and a fierce love for my own family. I am sure anyone who is a devoted parent (and especially those who are also missing their own mom and/or dad) will easily hear a bit of themselves in my writings.

“Getting to Get to”

Every day when we turn on the news, or witness a bad car accident, or find out that yet another loved one has passed away, we are reminded that life is short. So, while trying to balance my work life with my home life, I decided back in 2016 to start thinking in terms of "get to" instead of "have to" and it seriously changed my attitude dramatically.

I get to go to the doctor. I get to go into the office. I get to pick up my children from school. All of a sudden these "tasks" have become something positive and something to be grateful for. How lucky am I to get to go to the doctor whenever I need to? How fortunate am I to have a job?  How amazing it is that I am the one who gets to pick up my boys from their schools and be the first to hear all about their exciting days?

 I challenge you to try this shift of perspective and I promise that you will be amazed by how much better your days will become and how many more reasons you have to smile and give thanks.

Why did I start this blog?

I am a firm believer in, if you have something to share, you should share it. It could be your vocals, your skills on the piano, your athletic ability, your knowledge…whatever it is, someone out there can certainly benefit from seeing it, hearing, or simply just being around it. I remember when I was 22 years old and just starting out as a pharmaceutical sales rep. I was assigned to a team and I immediately separated myself from the other newbies and clung to the top reps, the ones I idealized. They were the ones taking the two-hour lunch breaks, dressing to the nines, making the big bucks with their monster territories and their loyal customers. It didn’t take me long to realize which of them were good and which of them were great. The difference was, the good reps hit or exceeded their quota and made it look effortless. The great reps on the other hand, would also hit or exceed their quota and then turn around and spend their time helping their teammates do the same. They would share their techniques for prospecting new accounts, for getting past the “gatekeeper”, for upselling, for “bundling”—you name it! The good reps would just sit on their tricks of the trade, keeping it all to themselves. That’s pretty much my thought behind having this site. I just want to take what I love to do, which is writing, and instead of sitting on it and keeping it all to myself, I want to put it out there for others to see.

I know that my writing isn’t going to cure cancer or accomplish anything of that great of a significance, but my hope is that by opening myself up to others with “Getting To Get To” that I’ll be able to give to my readers what my dance and yoga classes give to me every single time I go. It doesn’t matter what my mood is when I enter each lesson or practice, I always leave feeling uplifted, energized, empowered, more mindful, and overall better than when I first entered the space. This is my hope for YOU! Thank you for landing on my site and for sharing this journey with me.